Unum FMLA and leave forms, explained

What is Unum, and why is its name on your leave paperwork?

Unum is an insurance company (Unum Group) that also administers leave for employers. Unum's employer page says its product, Unum Total Leave, offers "Compliance with FMLA, ADA and complementary state leave laws" and "administration of all related corporate paid leaves."

FMLA is the Family and Medical Leave Act; ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act. Unum also tells employers the product offers a "Single point of intake for leave and disability claims," and that with Total Leave employees can "Take a picture with your phone and upload needed documentation directly into Total Leave." Those pages are written for employers.

At some employers Unum administers leave only; at others it also insures the disability plan. Forms aren't the same at every employer.

Who decides your leave: Unum or your employer?

Unum administers your leave for your employer, and in some arrangements it also decides it.

Unum's FMLA handbook for employers (2019) says its Absence Management Center "acts as an extension of your human resources staff by responding to employees' requests for leave on your behalf," and lists its duties as including "evaluating certification/documentation, requesting recertification."

An Unum guide for employers (2023) says Unum "applies the company's leave policies and applicable laws to review the leave request" and "decides whether the request is approved or denied." The rules still come from your employer's leave policy and benefit plan, plus the law, and the letters in your case show what was decided and under which policy, so keep each one, with its date.

Does Unum pay you during a leave of absence?

It depends on what Unum does for your employer. If Unum administers leave only, pay during a leave comes from your employer's paid leave or plan. If your employer's short-term disability plan is insured through Unum, any benefit is paid under that plan's terms; Unum's disability FAQ says benefit duration "depends on your policy's Maximum Benefit Period, which is determined by your employer."

FMLA leave itself is unpaid, and paid leave can run alongside it. Short-term disability is pay under a plan, a separate decision, and the same weeks can count against both. The short-term disability vs FMLA guide sets the two side by side.

For the birth of a child, FMLA leave runs under its own rule, and any pay comes from a plan where one exists.

How do you file a Unum leave and send your forms?

Unum's claim-filing page, written for employees, says "The fastest way to file a claim or leave is with the Unum web portal or app," and to "Register online through our secure website, MyUnum for Members."

Have ready your name and address, your employer's information, your job title and your regularly scheduled work hours. For a leave request, Unum says you may need to give your absences from work and expected return-to-work date.

If you cannot file online, the page says you can get a claim form at unum.com/claims or from HR, and to "Follow the instructions on the form to mail or fax your completed form." Keep a copy of what you send and every letter you receive.

Start the way your employer or your letter says.

HR can say whether phone filing is open to you.

Sign in to MyUnum for Members.

File the claim or leave request. Unum says you can photograph documents and upload them with your phone.

Get the provider's part completed.

Your own treating provider can do it, or a state-licensed provider through Certicare.

Return the form by the route on it.

Unum's forms ask for the completed form by fax or mail, as printed on the form; MyUnum lets you upload documents too. If your letter names a route, use that one.

Check your status.

Log in to your account to see the status of your claim or leave request.

What forms will Unum ask your provider to complete?

For FMLA leave, a medical certification, which your employer can require. Unum's handbook tells employers the Department of Labor "provides several forms you may require from employees as certification." The DOL's WH-380-E is one version, and your employer may use its own. Either way, the federal rule sets out what it may ask for, including when the condition started, how long it's likely to last, the medical facts supporting the leave, and whether you can do the job's essential functions. A diagnosis isn't required on it.

For a short-term disability claim, Unum's employee FAQ lists a "completed Employee Statement form," a "completed Employer's Statement form," a "completed Attending Physician's Statement form" and a "signed medical authorization form." The provider fills in the third, not you.

Unum's Attending Physician Statement (CL-1104) covers pregnancy (its own section), other conditions, functional capacity (restrictions and limitations) and the provider's signature. For a mental-health claim, see short-term disability for mental health.

Unum's Disability Status Update (CL-1021) asks the provider primarily responsible for your care for the primary diagnosis that may impact functional capacity and the duration of restrictions and limitations. Unum addresses that one to the provider treating you, so start there. It's a disability-plan form, not an FMLA certification, so the FMLA's no-diagnosis rule doesn't govern it. Employers may use their own versions, and the form you were sent governs.

Separately, FMLA eligibility has three tests: 50 or more employees within 75 miles of your worksite, 12 months with the employer, and 1,250 hours in the preceding 12 months. Meeting them is necessary, not sufficient. The reason must also qualify, and your employer designates the leave; what counts as a serious health condition is its own question.

What happens if the form comes back incomplete or late?

For an FMLA certification, you get at least 15 calendar days after the employer's request to return it. That deadline doesn't apply where returning it on time isn't practicable despite your diligent, good-faith efforts, so keep a dated record of what you asked your provider and when. If it's incomplete or insufficient, the employer must say in writing what's missing and generally allow seven calendar days to fix it. A certification that never reaches the employer isn't treated as incomplete; it counts as not provided, so only the 15-day clock applies to it.

If the certification is late, the rule depends on the leave. For leave you planned ahead, the employer may deny FMLA coverage until you provide it. For leave you couldn't plan, it may deny FMLA coverage for the days after the deadline until a sufficient certification arrives, unless something outside your control made returning it on time impractical. Read about FMLA denials for what can still be fixed.

Disability-plan forms follow the plan's rules, not the FMLA's clocks. Go by any deadline in your letter.

Who completes the provider's part for you?

If the provider already treating you will complete the form, that's the simplest route. Certicare is for when that isn't available, or not in time.

A state-licensed provider completes and signs the provider's part of the form you were sent, after an online evaluation, where the evaluation supports it. Upload the form with your intake; usually no appointment. A provider may follow up for more detail before deciding.

An evaluation doesn't mean a signature: the provider signs only what the evaluation supports. The completed form comes back to you by email, usually within 24 hours after we have everything needed. You return it the way your letter says.

The fee is $49 for the medical leave forms service. If we can't complete your request, for any reason, you're refunded in full.

This service is for your own condition. For a family member, see family care leave forms.